Robotech: Departures
by pangeman
Summary: The decisions we make forever affects our future no matter how small. The future has many paths, could a few small choices on both sides change the fate of 2 races? does love really conquer all?(ch1 revised, ch2 uploaded)
1. ep 01: Wedding bells part 1

ROBOTECH: Departures

The decisions we make forever affects our future no matter how small. The future has many paths, could a few small choices save humanity from destruction? 

Disclaimer: 

I don't own robotech, macross, and whole bunch of other stuff from those 2 series and are property of their respective owners

Author pre notes:          

This story is a divergent fic separating from the story line approximately during "wedding bells." There are a couple changes that happen before this chapter. But I'll explain why later. One last thing; there will be extensive use of military type acronyms, and some other technical jargon, both real and made up, so I'll be providing a glossary at the end of each chapter to make it easier for y'all to understand.

Anyways on with the show!

ROBOTECH: Departures         Volume 1:         the first terran space war.

Episode 1:        Wedding bells part 1

            A tired lone Lieutenant Commander walked into room 303 of macross city general hospital to check up on a comatose pilot.

_'Still no change.'_ mentally sighed the person; _'I don't know how often I will have to come here cuz it is really draining on me.' _

"Hi big brother," quietly utters Rick hunter as he sat down at the chair set bedside to Roy, "here I am again to check up on you." 

_'The chair must have been recently moved…'_ Rick finally realizes since it is close to Roy's bed, _'Claudia must have dropped by a little bit earlier.' _

He spoke up again, and began like so many times in his recent memory "I don't know how many times I've said it but it's strange seeing you here stuck in a hospital, now don't get me wrong I'm not saying that you were a careless pilot or anything, I'm just saying it's strange that's all…actually Roy I have been wondering endlessly at how you did it…I mean filling your shoes as CAG has been a big job, but it's really been the weight of being responsible for all those pilots. It wasn't like before when a fellow pilot died, oh I dunno what I'm trying to get at." Finally giving up at trying to express his sorrow, Rick slumped into his chair, and slowly drifted off into sleep.

"Rick"

"Rick"

An intense shaking was forced upon his right shoulder

"Rick wake up!"

Finally recognizing the thick Russian accent of the man trying to awaken him, the young lieutenant commander quickly snapped awake stiff in his seat.

"Captain Gloval, sir!"

"At ease Rick, I'm off duty right now"

The young Hunter instantly relaxed, "thank you sir." 

"So has there been any change in commander Fokker's condition?" asks the captain with his ever-present briar pipe in his mouth.

"No captain," again Rick replies in a very somber tone, "he's still in a coma, but his wounds have fully healed."

Silence again permeates the room

"I see" and with that, the captain slowly heads towards the door to the room.

"Umm captain?" 

"Yes Rick," answers Gloval, back turned away from Rick and Roy.

"Ummm captain, I've been CAG for a while now, and I dunno, but if you don't mind my asking…how do you deal with the pain coming from when we lose one of our comrades under your command…you don't have to answer sir, but it's…just been…" 

"Hard for you to deal with it?" Rick nods silently.

"Well," the captain began, "that is one question every good military commander has asked himself. And no I don't mind you asking that question; Roy here had asked me this same question a long time ago. I'll tell you what I told him: live, lead and command in a way that would have made them be proud to be under your command. But more so never forget them or their sacrifice and why they sacrificed their lives.

"These are not easy words to live by as a commander, and these words are very difficult for me still…the deaths of those under my command often keep me awake at night, but those words and the ultimate reason we fight gives me the will to go on."

"Thank you captain for sharing that with me." Rick replies more uplifted than he was when he entered the room.

"No problem Rick," silently under Rick's gaze the captain of the SDF 1 silently leaves the room containing 2 friends closer than siblings. Yet as Gloval leaves the room 2 thoughts are at the front of his mind, _'Rick I hope you realize that it's the fight for peace and our loved ones that allows all good veteran commanders to bear the titanic pressure of command. It's the only reason I can give for all the hardships we face…"_

Exiting into the hallway of the hospital, the Captain's thoughts continued, _'I know it would scare you if I told you, but it was under my orders you were made CAG, and promoted to Lieutenant Commander. I can see that you will are becoming a great commanding officer. I see your care for those under your command, and the respect they give you because of it. I pray that will never change in you Rick.'_

After watching the captain leave, Rick's thoughts moved to more temporal concerns, _'I wonder how Max's date went? I'm supposed to meet him today…what time is it?'_ he glanced at his watch, urgency washed over him… "Shit! It's 1617! I've been here almost 2 and a half hours!"

Jumping out of his seat and speed walking towards the door he mumbles loudly "sorry Roy I gotta run! I'm supposed to meet Max on the observation deck in 10 minutes, but I'll drop by again in a couple days kay?" but no answer is heard by his ears. Leaving what amounts to being his only family in the care of the medical staff, Rick rushes out to meet Max.

++##++

            Unlike the fast pace which Rick Hunter raced to meet his compatriot on some important meeting, the weekly meeting of the United Earth Defense Council droned on. "So next up on the agenda is the matter of Captain Gloval granting asylum to several Zentraedi defectors."

"Indeed it is Senator Russo," admiral Donald 'don' Hayes finally decided speak up at this exhaustive meeting, "I believe Captain Gloval's decision was a very prudent one, which I believe we agreed on last meeting. In addition to providing medical reports supporting that Zentraedi and humans are basically the same genetically, the captain included information from debriefing sessions from the defectors. And first and foremost in the details of this report is the number of fully active warships in the Zentraedi Starfleet.

"As you may know," the admiral continued, "the current fleet of Zentraedi capital ships near the moon numbers in excess of 1 million. Like all of you I was astounded that this many ships were active in their fleet, but what I have to tell you now is even more astonishing and frightening at the same time."

After taking a sip from his glass of water, he continued, "Commanders Hunter and Hayes' report of estimating Zentraedi capital ship strength at around 5 million is inaccurate, in fact this number grossly underestimated the full Zentraedi fleet strength. From the debriefings of the Zentraedi defectors, we have in fact learnt that there are in fact several fleets within the entire Zentraedi armada. 5 million is actually the approximate amount of warships under the direct command of a sector fleet commander named Dolza, and this number constitutes fully active capital warships. Moreover, according to the defectors, their history contains warnings to stay away from micronian races, and failing that, to destroy that world"

Admiral Hayes let it sink into the heads of his fellow council members, it was the same reaction if not worse than the one on his face when he read the report in Lisa's presence. 

**Flashback**

"WHAT?? There's another REPORT??!!" exclaimed admiral Hayes in shock at his daughter's revelation.

Finally calming down he continued "Ok, is it ok for me to see it now?"

Sitting in the couch of her father's quarters Lisa was a little freaked out by the reaction her admiral father made. "Here it is sir." Lisa handed it to the admiral.

"Lisa! We're both off duty and we're family, I beg of you NOT to call me sir!"

This lightening of mood was what they needed, so sitting down on the couch beside Lisa, he opened the report.

Lisa watched as her father's mouth dropped open in fear and amazement, it was a wonder to her that he could even utter "Oh fuckin shit!" from learning such petrifying information. But Don Hayes, Earth defense council member read on. 

_'Did I see him break out in cold sweat?'_ Lisa thought as he neared the end of the document.

"Lisa… you were right," don dropped his head in defeat, "we can't defeat a force that big using this monstrosity of a geo thermal weapon."

"Lisa, I'm going to let you be privy on some very sensitive council information, I trust you will keep it a secret?" she nodded. "Lisa," the admiral continued, "Ever since before the disappearance of the SDF 1, I have realized that the majority of those on the council are greedy power hungry men. I have been more or less the only voice of reason until Marshall Zhukav lost his son about a year ago in a terrorist incident.

"Russo has been trying at every point since the SDF 1 returned to space, to captain the ship and command the entire RDF space fleet from space. I'm certain he's trying to get rid of me."

"But father how does Zhukav fit into this?" Lisa inquired totally astonished at the council's greed.

"Well between the 2 of us, we have promoted loyal smart officers in key positions, general Theroux is one of them. But now I can't stop the greed, because we need to protect the earth from outside conflict more than internal conflict, and it's a conflict I doubt we can win."

**End flashback**

"So fellow council members, what shall we do about this situation?" admiral Hayes spoke firmly. 

Russo was the first to shake off the shock, seeing an opportunity to rid himself of a perpetual thorn in his political side, "I propose that we send one of us on the council to the SDF 1 so that we can initiate peace talks with these Zentraedi. However we also need someone to prepare for possible conflict, which will most likely be held in space. So I suggest that admiral Hayes be placed in command of our strategic space forces as CINCCOS.

_'Just as I thought, Russo really wants to get rid of me'_ speaking up admiral Hayes countered, "I would accept this position of course upon the council's decision, however I will need to be able to have full command of the grand cannon and all earth based anti space weapon systems. I will also need the council's permission to negotiate on its behalf." 

Russo was totally livid at these requests. "WHAT?!?! Isn't that a bit MUCH?" Russo was now on his feet totally astounded that he was politically outmaneuvered.

"These are reasonable considering we're asking the good admiral to possibly fight a war against nearly impossible odds" Zhukav defended his military colleague

"Relax," don continued for his ally in the council, "all earth based missile systems will be under regional control normally, it will only be in the case that the whole Zentraedi fleet moves to attack earth that I request having control of those weapon systems. So do I have the council's approval?" 

Grudgingly, three fourths of the council agreed.

"I suggest that we convene for today and continue tomorrow" admiral Hayes nudged to the council, "it has been a long grueling meeting and we would be better to relax than be cooped up in these chambers"

"Agreed" that came from an annoyed Russo.

One by one the council agreed to convene for the day and filed out of the chamber, leaving only admiral Hayes and Marshall Zhukav both seated.

"Thank you Anatoliy Petrovich,"

"Anytime Don my friend" was the reply, albeit in a Russian accent many times thicker than Gloval's

Nothing more needed to be said between them and both silently left the council chambers

Lisa saw all the other council members leave the council chambers, and was perplexed that her father was still in their after that marathon session.

_'I hope it all worked out'_ commander Hayes thought as she continued to wait patiently. '_At Last!'_ Lisa saw the last 2 council members, who happened to be the most senior RDF commanders. "Admiral!" she exclaimed. 

Her father now out of the chamber came up to join her silently leading her toward their quarters. "I hope it went well sir?" Lisa asked, remembering they were both on duty. 

"Not completely as I wanted but well commander. But we'll talk about it in my office." Her father replied. 

The pair continued in silence until having to turn into another corridor. "so Lisa what have you been up to here on base since you're still considered a special envoy from captain Gloval?" questioned Lisa's father, breaking the awkward silence with small talk.

"Well sir, I actually was requested by general Theroux to help with training one of their newer flight operations controllers. He knew I had a lot of downtime, and thought my experience could be put to good use."

"Really? That's good" observed the elder Hayes, prompting his daughter to continue.

"Anyways, 2 days ago I was supposed to meet a Lieutenant Chase in one of the air operations training rooms, but guess who this lieutenant Chase turned out to be… Helena one of my friends at the academy! When I told you a bout her I always referred to her as Helen." 

The joy in Lisa's was evident to Admiral Hayes_, 'I remember Helen, she was in a younger class but she and Lisa were bunked together at the academy if my sources were correct.'_

"Well Helen, was just recently transferred here," continued Lisa, "and her last assignment was a staff tour in Asia. So I've spent quite a bit of time with her catching up outside of training her, and today we only had a partial training session because I was supposed to meet with a certain defense council member on the final verdict so I can advise captain Gloval via transmission." With that last statement Lisa smirked knowing full well that her father would mentally laugh at her harmless comment on his position.

Indeed he smiled at her comment, as they continued through the base to their shared quarters, "well if you're training her she probably will be capable of filling the post that would have been yours if you were transferred permanently here…that's right Lisa I went out of my way to keep you safe here at Alaska base when I found out you were en route. But after what reading that document I have a feeling we'll be needing our best officers, crewman and pilots in space."

What was just revealed to her astounded Lisa. The part about her father preparing a position for her on the base came as no surprise, but him acknowledging that her position was on the SDF 1 Bridge, and no less that she was one of the best officers in the RDF?? That was totally unexpected. Luckily for her, they had arrived at his staff office: RDF PACCOM, pacific command. Passing through his staff office, they entered his personal office; on the door were 2 plates with the words "RDF CINCPAC" "Admiral Donald L. Hayes."

The admiral offered to his daughter that they sit on the couch; since it was just the two of them it could be a more of a family conversation rather than a conversation between a superior and subordinate. "Now where was I? Oh yes I remember," the admiral continued, "the council didn't say a word on the subject, but since you are still assigned as XO I believe that they'll send you back to the SDF 1 with me."

 Before Lisa could express her opinion, her father continued, "That's right Lisa, the council decided that we need both a UEDC council member to negotiate with the Zentraedi as well as a fleet commander to command all our starships; since I'm both, they picked me. And like expected, Russo tried to use this situation to his advantage, but I thwarted his plans completely."

"Father it seems you take joy in pissing off senator Russo," commented Lisa.

"Indeed I do," the admiral admitted, "The main thing is that the whole council gave me free reign and support. So now I can properly equip the rest of our space fleet with some weapons that were developed but kept under lock and key. This is good news for captain Gloval as well; it means he'll have some backup in fighting off those attacks…. Call it selfish of me but I just wish I could keep you safe, and not have you be sent to space"

            "Father I know you want to keep me safe, but you've always told me that we have to do our duty whether we like it or not, and it's my duty being the XO of the SDF 1. it just so happens I love being there as well…I think you'll see when we get there. More than that, if the whole Zentraedi fleet comes to attack earth then there's no safe haven on our world. But above all, when I joined the RDF, I swore an oath to protect humanity, and our planet to the best of my ability. It's true I can serve my fellow humans working on this base, but I would not be doing so to my full ability, when my station has been on the bridge of the battle fortress."

_'Besides,'_ she added quietly, _'Rick is on the SDF 1.'_

His daughter brought up some valid points, amazing points actually, and being an admiral meant he had to know how to pick battles he could win, and this was most certainly a lost battle. "Okay Lisa, I think you made your point. I admit defeat on this argument. But now we should get work, I have to find a replacement to take over as CINCPAC and choose my ground liaison to the council for COSCOM, which until now has been under HQ's direct authority. 

"And you, my dear daughter, have a communiqué to send to the captain of the SDF 1 regarding the council's decision. So we both better get a move on, because I don't want to pull a late night in the office. You can use my aide's office to work in; he caught a nasty cold from when we waited for your shuttle and the doctors ordered he have 2 weeks medical leave."

No more words needed to be spoken between the two Hayes family members as both set off to their tasks at hand.

++##++

Unlike the two offices in which Commander and Admiral Hayes were working dutifully, the portside observation deck was a scene of conversation and relaxation. Despite rushing and making it to the portside observation area 10 minutes late, Rick still had seen no sign of Max, and that was 30 minutes ago. He even noticed Kim, Sammie and Vanessa, otherwise known as the terrible trio were spending their breaks here with the three original Zentraedi spies. It was no secret that the bridge crew frequented this lounge; it was situated nearby the bridge, and naturally only RDF personnel were allowed here. But there were exceptions to the rule; being a Zentraedi defector, or being in a relationship with RDF personnel were two of those exceptions.

"So do you think Lisa was able to convince her father?" Rick recognized that voice as belonging to Sammie, not that he was being a snoop, he was sitting 5 tables away. It was just that the Terrible Trio was being louder than usual that day.

_'Lisa…'_ Rick's mind wandered off at the thought of her, zoning out the conversation the 3 bridge bunnies and the 3 spies were having on possibly returning back to earth not to mention the other people in the lounge. _'My dinner date with her would have been tonight if she hadn't gone to earth.'_ He quickly swatted that thought down. It was strange for Rick; ever since she left for Earth, his mind often wandered to Lisa even though they were just friends and coworkers. 

His friendship with Commander Hayes was just another burden on top of his already exhausting load of flight duty, being commander of the battle fortress's air group, and his complex love life. Or did Lisa fit under the love life section, further complicating a part of his life that was crazy enough with his relationship with Minmei. He took another sip of coffee and waited for his wing mate to arrive…he wanted details of Max's date_. 'I hope Max has better success at love than I do…it'll be a welcome distraction to my own relationship problems.'_

"Just the man I wanted to see!" After a tiring wait, Max finally made his presence known to Rick.

What took you so long Max? I'm anxious to find out how the date went!!!" 

"Well…ummm about the date Rick…" stammered Max, who normally never stuttered.

"SPIT IT OUT MAX!!" to say Rick was annoyed with Max for making him wait was a gross understatement.

"About the date last night," Max began once more, " well…I think I'm going to get married."

Rick suddenly choked on his coffee, and sprayed it out in utter astonishment.

Recomposing himself from the surprise of his life, Rick queried, " how on Earth can you think you're getting married, it's either you are or you're not. besides, that was just ONE date. But honestly though, why don't you guys take your time? I mean we all live on the same ship, so neither of you can go anywhere." 

But Max was adamant in his position bringing up the ultimate defense to Rick's badgering, "we're in love!"

Rick was taken aback by his wingman's comments, he was about to open his mouth and try to reason with his friend, but Max continued on, "commander, this isn't one of the reasons I asked to talk to ya…it's well…umm…she's a Zentraedi"

"WHAT??? SHE'S A ZENTRAEDI!!!" bellowed Rick shocked even more than by Max's now pending nuptials.

THUUUDD. 

All the occupants turned in the direction of Rick, who was now sprawled across the floor. They all had heard his hollering about Max marrying a female Zentraedi. 

The bridge bunnies along with Konda, Rico, and Bron, who were sitting several tables away, were most interested in this development. They were well aware that all the defectors on the SDF 1 were all male. Rico spoke up for them, while their little assembled group watched Rick get up from falling out of his chair, "I'm curious to find out which meltran ace defected. They're the only ones gutsy enough to pull a stunt like this."

"Well if we're gonna find out who it is," whispered Sammie, "we should at least look like we're having a conversation, and not LOOK like we're listening."

The rest of them nodded, and returned to having small talk, but were kept watch at the proceedings at Rick and Max's table.

It took a couple of minutes for Rick to get off the floor and back into his seat; all the while he grumbled on how the chair was substandard crap. The whole time, however, Max did his best from laughing at his friend's predicament. Finally resettling into his chair, Rick spoke up in a more serious tone that hinted a little bit of skepticism, "ok so she's a Zentraedi defector…I thought all the defectors were male? But that really isn't the point. How could you just fall in love with her? I mean I know you were chasing her all around macross city, but I mean wasn't that just plain ol' infatuation?"

"I love her with my whole heart. How I fell in love with her doesn't matter to me, nor does the fact that she's a Zentraedi, Rick. The two of us are in love and there ain't a thing that love can't solve!" Finished Max, completely adamant about his position.

_'You got a lot to learn about love, buddy.'_ was all that was on Rick's mind as his comrade finished speaking. Rick just simply couldn't understand how everyone could be so blind about how complicated love really is. His own love life was testament to his way of thinking. On one hand, Rick had what seemed to be an undying affection for Minmei; on the other was his pseudo friendship/love interest/annoyance Lisa. The 2 girls had him totally confused to what to do that he wished for divine intervention to aid him. 

"I dunno about love solving everything, it's given quite a lot of problems and pain as well," commented Rick, trying to be diplomatic to his friend. "I can tell you're attracted to her Max, but what's so different about her and all the other girls you've had a crush on before?" he discreetly nodded his head in the direction of the bridge bunnies, remembering how Max had a crush on each of them one after the other for a 3 month period.

"She's special." Were the only words uttered from Max's mouth.

"Then Max, if your mind's made up about marrying her, even though she's a Zentraedi, why did you wanna meet me for?"

Max saw Rick was perplexed at his reasons. "Well skull leader," Max replied with a smirk, "I wancha to meet her."

At that moment, as if getting a silent signal, a young woman sitting at the other end of the lounge, and watching the proceedings got up and walked up to the 2 command pilots of skull squadron. Max quickly stood up, "Hey Mir, we were just talking about you! Rick, I'd like you to meet Miriya."

For the third time in less than 15 minutes, Rick was astonished. What he was expecting was definitely not what his eyes saw. Miriya was just drop dead gorgeous, something Rick would have done had he not been sitting down. She was wearing a full length dark navy jean skirt with a cream coloured turtleneck sweater; her long deep green mane of hair was elegantly draped across her left shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you Rick, you're exactly how Maximillian described you to me"

Back at the table where Kim, Sammie, Vanessa, Konda, Rico, and Bron were sitting, amazement was the word that described their mood. The bridge bunnies were told by the defectors stories of the Zentraedi ace of aces: miriya. But what shocked them was that it was this very ace that defected and her appearance was this stunning. In fact, the 3 young ladies were doing their best to keep Konda's, Rico's and Bron's lower jaws from dropping any further.

Meanwhile, Rick shook her hand very slowly, still trying to recover from the third near heart attack given to him by his friend and wing mate, Max. "Max," Rick spoke, " I understand…she is striking! You're both lucky to have each other. And Max, forget what I said earlier

Miriya couldn't help but smile as Rick talked of how lucky she and Max were. Since the beginning of the day, she didn't feel at all like a great Zentraedi warrior, nor did she care; all she could feel was this overwhelming joy in her heart, which no battle, no triumph could even begin to compare with. 

Max quietly thanked himself for taking miriya shopping earlier today. Judging by Rick's reactions, which were ones that one did not give to an enemy, it was a prudent choice.

"Maximillian," begun miriya, "are those three males sitting over there, Konda Rico, and Bron by any chance?"

"Well maybe the two of you should go over there and find out," suggested Rick. "The bridge bunnies are there as well, and I'm certain that you'll become fast friends with them."

"What about you Rick?" asked Max.

"Well we have another political asylum situation on our hands, so I'll talk to the captain for the two of you." replied Rick; "I'll talk to you guys later though ok?"

The three of them parted ways, Max and his fiancé moved towards the table where the bridge officers were seated; Rick left the lounge to meet with the captain.

tsu zu ku. (to be continued)

-+-+-+-+- end of Wedding Bells part 1 -+-+-+-+-

preview:

next time on ROBOTECH: Departures

Preparations begin on the SDF 1 for what promises to be the Greatest wedding ever.  But preparations are not only limited to the Battle Fortress. In Alaska base, arrangements are made for the imminent departure of Admiral Hayes to the SDF 1. But what of the Zentraedi? Silence means there's trouble brewing in the giants' enormous fleet. Preparation and planning come to the foreground on **Wedding Bells Part 2, **the next chapter of ROBOTECH: Departures 

Glossary of terms:

CAG:                           Commander air group. Commander of all aircraft/spacecraft on a warship

CINCCOS:                  Commander in Chief Cosmos. Commander of all military forces in space

CINCPAC:                  Commander in chief Pacific. Commander of all military forces in the pacific region

CO:                              Commanding officer

COSCOM:                  Space command

PACCOM:                  Pacific command

Oberth destroyers:        Some of the first warships made by Robotechnology, check out the Robotech reference guide for some details   

XO:                              Executive Officer, the second in command 

RDF:                            Robotech Defense Forces

Author ramblings:

so what the heck is going on in this fic!!?!?!? Roy's alive, But in a coma; Captain Gloval seems to even have a paternal friendship with Rick; the Zentraedi fleet is not a total of 5 million warships but more like 15-20 million warships; what the heck is Helena Chase (from robotech battlecry) doing here?! Sooo if you're asking yourself "WHERE'S THE AUTHOR PRE NOTE EXPLAINING THE CHANGES???" then too bad! You gotta read on to find out what happened to cause all the changes. What can I say except that flashbacks are a great literary device!(don't I always tell people that when I review) There's a couple of spots I want y'all to think about, like Roy's room number and the advice Gloval gave to Rick. (can you spot where they originally from?)

So the big question is…is this a Rick / Lisa fic?? I only have 1 mysterious answer for that: the original Macross anime was a love triangle romance in a war story setting, I am going to be as faithful to that idea as possible. So hopefully I'll do my best to not bash any characters. (bumping and light bruising is exempt…heheheheh)

For those wondering where on earth I got the idea for this fic…well in the first chapter of book 4 of the robotech books, there was a pre chapter quote about senator Russo thinking he could get admiral Hayes to be captain of the Sdf 1. Then to add to that; I wondered what would happen if Lisa was able to return to the SDF 1 prior to 'force of arms'. So throwing those two main ideas, a bunch of stuff from the macross compendium, a dash of DYRL stuff, several helpings of shock therapy, a couple ounces of robotech: battlecry, another bunch of military etiquette/acronyms, and of course pounds of my own personal ideas, and this is what you get!

For any of you who were wondering, I was originally post 1 episode as 1 chapter. But, it would have been extremely long chapters, and very long waiting time between updates. I personally love long chapters, but one can only go so far right? (I mean this episode is  less than halfway done, and I'm at about 5000 words already!) AND I PLAN TO FINISH THIS STORY! I AM NOT GONNA LEAVE IT UNFINISHED!

Anyways, (shout outs) thanks to Carla fox for the encouragement to get off my butt and write this fic. Without you this fic would have never been posted, and I wouldn't have gone review crazy! Kudos to spherisian as well! Your little rallying cry has not gone on deaf ears. You've gotten people into a robotech/ macross writing frenzy! Thanks for the inspiration!

Oh ya, if you are reading this line, PLEASE REVIEW!!! I wanna hear your input…that means criticisms (only way to get better is to know your faults right?) and comments (extra ideas for things to happen/ pranks and stuff to happen to characters) are most appreciated! (all flames will appropriately be doused by insane amounts of water)

One more thing, to all you people who have an idea for a fic, Just WRITE IT!!! Especially macross saga fics! Besides, you can only become a better writer! 

Anywayz, cya next chapter!

Pangeman

P.S. PLEASE REVIEW 


	2. ep 02: Wedding bells part 2

Disclaimer:  I don't own robotech, macross, and whole bunch of other stuff from those 2 series and are property of their respective owners

Author pre notes: 

Final exams really suck. But u gotta do what you gotta do right? 

Anyways on with the show!

ROBOTECH: Departures         Volume 1:         the first terran space war.

Episode 1:        Wedding bells part 2

Rick found himself in Captain Gloval's quarters along with Claudia, later that evening. Having met the captain in his office earlier about Max and Miriya, Rick was slightly confused as to why he was here. 'I thought Gloval was fine with giving asylum to Miriya? It's the only thing that comes to mind with all that has happened today'

"Claudia, Rick, make yourselves comfortable." said captain Gloval in a relaxed tone as he poured himself a drink.

Commander Hunter's mind continued to churn; _'the captain seems to be in a good mood, so it can't be bad news he wishes to share with us…'_

The two subordinates both opted to sit down on the couch. Being more comfortable around the captain, Claudia was the first to speak up, "So captain what is it you wished to talk to us about?"

"Since you are both very close to Max, I wondering what perhaps be the best way in notifying him that his wedding will be made into a major event," began the captain, as he took a seat in his favorite lounging chair.

"As you both very well know," Gloval continued, "He is a very humble person, and would most likely not want to make this a big deal."

"I guess I get to return the favor you gave me earlier captain," commented Rick, and a light chuckle was shared between the two males in the room.

"Well," continued Rick in a thoughtful manner, "my suggestion sir is that you make it almost like a surprise…maybe tell him he has to postpone his wedding a few days cuz a special mission, and that preparations will be required. He'll definitely want to butt in since he wants to marry Miriya as soon as he has a day off, however you can cut him off and continue sir. 

"He'll eventually resign himself to whatever the mission is, and ask for details. Then you can spring it on him that his mission is to have the First interspecies wedding, and that it being the first wedding in space makes it that much more important. I assume that cost is of no matter, so that will make him even happier. But that's the long and short of my idea sir, besides, I think he needs to have a little bit of the limelight shine on him."

"Hmmm," was captain Gloval's only reply, and in a tone that represented deep thought; "Claudia what do you think?"

"Well captain, I like it! And from what I heard from Kim and Sammie, Miriya is a nice person, I am anxious to meet her."

The captain stood up. "Could the two of you be present during the proceedings?" both Rick and Claudia nodded, "it's settled then. We are going to play a prank on lieutenant sterling…but we'll do it my way, so both of you be ready to ad lib a lot. now, Commander Hunter would you do the honors of calling lieutenant sterling and getting him and Miriya to come here?"

"Yes sir."

Rick Got up and picked up the phone on the Captain's desk.

"Hey max! Is Miriya there with you? Good.

"Look I'm here with the captain right now, and he's requested yours and Miriya's presence in his quarters ASAP!"

The captain watched amusedly as Rick quickly jerked the handset away from his ear, while they heard max ranting and shouting through the earpiece.

Slowly putting the phone set back to his ear, Rick continued, "Ya I know I told you that he OK'd her and granted her asylum. Look, the granting asylum bit got a bit more complicated ok? Just get the both of you here as soon as possible ok? I don't wanna have to pull rank and order you over here. I'll see you in a few minutes"

Hanging up the phone, he heaved a great big sigh, and formed a great big grin. "Well captain he's on his way and is thinking the worst possible scenario has happened."

"Well I think we should all have a somewhat grievous face on, it'll make this even funnier!" commented Claudia.

All three conspirators nodded assent. It was quietly decided that commander hunter answer the door and let the soon to be married couple in. what amazed Rick the most was that the captain was willing to play a small practical joke on one of his crew members. 

A few minutes past anxiously amongst them until KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK was heard on the door. 

The trio put on their game faces; Rick opened the door and ushered the lieutenant and his bride to be into the room. 

Claudia, and captain Gloval stood behind the captain's desk; Rick, however, ushered max and Miriya to face directly toward the captain, and then stood to the side near his own subordinate.

_'Max and Miriya look like they're about to face a firing squad!'_ smirked Rick internally; _'I can't wait to see their faces when the good news is broken to them!'_

"Lieutenant sterling, Miss Parino, thank you for coming," began Captain Gloval, in a grave tone, "the reason I have requested the both of you here due to complications in miss Parino's request for asylum."

"But sir, I thought you Ok'd it!" butt in max.

"I WAS NOT FINISHED LIEUTENANT!" flared the captain.

Everyone else in the room returned to silence, not wishing to be on the receiving end of Gloval's fury.

'_That was really freaky, it's a good thing I know that the captain is only acting, or I'd be fearing for my life right now.'_ Thought a slightly shaken Rick.

Quickly calming down the Captain continued, "As I was saying, There are complication with Miss Parino's request for asylum. The first complication is that of locating quarters for Miss Parino. What were you planning to do, Lieutenant?"

"Well umm, I was hoping she could stay with me."

"Max, you're my friend but that won't work," this time Rick answered, " any quarters on the Daedelus, or on the Prometheus are only for combat pilots and crew of those vessels. And no one, short of the Flag officers at Alaska base can change those rules. Besides, that room is only big enough for one occupant. I'd offer my room above the White Dragon, but Miriya's a defector, so we need a bit of military secrecy for her at least for the time being"

Rick finished by taking in Miriya's gaze. It was one of confusion, and fear, it was obvious to him she wondered how he could suddenly start playing devils advocate.

"Captain, Max, Miriya, Rick," this time Claudia started up, "If I may interject, but is it possible she could stay at my place for now? It's not on either of the 2 carriers, and it's in officer's country, so no civilians from macross can stumble by. Besides don't you think she needs a little bit of advice on the female aspects of micronian life? Is that ok Miriya?"

All that Miriya could manage was a nod. 

The captain could sense the fear emanating from Max and Miriya…it was obvious she was worried she might not be able to marry Max, and for some reason, she appeared to dread that outcome more than death itself.

"With that settled, we can go on with the rest of the complications;" spoke the captain, "please understand, Miss Parino that I am not denying you your asylum, I just wish to clarify all the complications. But before I continue, may I call you Miriya? Saying 'Miss Parino' is getting a bit tiring."

Miriya naturally felt relieved. Allowing a serene smile to creep onto her face, she replied, "Yes captain, you may."

"From talking to Lieutenant Commander Hunter and Lieutenant Sammie Porter prior to your arrival," captain Gloval continued, "I have learnt that you, unlike the other defectors, are a high ranking Zentraedi officer…currently, our intelligence on the Zentraedi is grossly lacking. We have debriefed all the other defectors, but the information they were able to provide was very little, probably due to their being of fairly low rank. So I ask, would you be able to provide us with as much information as you know? I'm not asking you to turn your back on your race, it's just that we need as much possible information so that we can attempt to make a truce with your people."

"Yes captain, I accept your request. I've come to realize that your culture has so much to offer, and I certainly do not wish to see it destroyed." Answered Miriya, the whole time staring in to Max's eyes, which were trained on her.

"There is one final complication to this whole thing;" the captain's tone became as cold as ice while letting every word sink in to the couple in the middle of the room.

"I take it that you two plan on marrying each other?" both Max and Miriya nodded.

             "Now Lieutenant Sterling, I am going to be blunt here;" continued Gloval once more with a poker face on his visage, "your planning to marry each other IS the MAIN complication. Do you realize that yours marriage could result in discrimination towards the both of you from your respective races? Not to mention that you ARE a combat pilot for this ship."

Fear entered Max and Miriya. in the short time their love had to blossom, it was evident that they feared losing each other. But Rick could clearly see that his wing mate was channeling that fear into anger.

"SIR! I don't WANT nor NEED your blessing to marry Miriya. I LOVE her with my whole being, and no one Will Keep US APART!" fumed Max, totally disregarding Gloval's rank. " And if you plan to order me to not marry her, then I RESIGN!"

"Captain Gloval," Miriya continued for max, picking up where he left off; "I have no wish to leave Maximillian's side. I can't bear to ever be without him. I would rather fight my own people than leave him."

Gloval and Claudia were totally taken aback by how deep the emotions of the two were for each other. All they could do was stay silent as they watched Rick come up between the engaged couple. _'At least he knows how far the game can be taken' _thought Gloval, _'this tension borne out of a prank can't last much longer._' Putting his arms over both Max and Miriya's shoulders, Rick spoke up with a smirk on his face, "Max, miriya, all I have to say is….your wedding is going to be the biggest wedding celebration ever!"

Both max and Miriya face faulted. 

"Look you two," Captain Gloval spoke up once more, "I have decided that the first wedding in space should have a great celebration. Not to mention the first marriage between 2 different species." 

"So Both of you Relax!" this time Claudia addressed the soon to be married couple; "there's no way we're going to let 2 people so completely in love with each other NOT marry. I Sammie's already in a frenzy about the wedding!"

"Besides," Rick finished for Claudia, and Captain Gloval, "our good captain here is going to make sure your wedding will put a royal wedding to shame…and Max, there's no way of getting out of it. Any questions buddy?"

"Only one, Rick. WHY??"

"You two deserve it." The captain commented, beating Rick to the punch. "Mr. Sterling you're our best pilot, and from what I've heard, miriya is considered the Ace of aces within Zentraedi ranks. Not to mention, you're always so humble of your accomplishments. So enjoy the limelight just this once. And that's an order."

Max became totally relieved that he couldn't help but smile and reply, "Yes sir"

Standing up, the captain went to his liquor cabinet, "now if you all don't mind, I propose that we all relax from our duties and toast to this joyous occasion."

The 5 people in the captain's quarters took the reprieve from their duties that night and shared each others company before the storm of wedding preparations began.

++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++

Later that night, Rick lied in bed reflecting on the day's events. Watching the obvious love between his Max and his fiancé, one thing came to mind to the CAG of the SDF 1; _'maybe love isn't that complicated after all.'_ Rick noticed the attachment forming between the bridge bunnies, and the original Zentraedi spies while he waited for max earlier that day. _'I guess it's just my situation that's complicated.'_

He weighed his two current relationships; he was wholly devoted to Minmei ever since they were stuck in the bowels of the battle-fortress. He was pretty certain that Minmei wanted to go out with him; God knows that she had used every hint and signal short of actually telling him. True, it had been stagnating recently, but he chalked that up to both of them recently having busy schedules. The most ironic thing was that they both encouraged each other into their current roles. Minmei had helped him see his worth as a combat pilot; likewise, he had given her the self-esteem boost she needed prior to the miss macross pageant.

Everything about her up until the appearance of her cousin had made him want to date her more. But the only time he was ready to officially ask her out, she had been thrust into superstardom, while he was stuck in some part of the galaxy…a prisoner of the Zentraedi along with Ben, Max, and Lisa.

Lisa Hayes what did he think of when it came to her? The two of them had initially been at each other's necks since launching day. But ever since their capture by the Zentraedi, and their posthumous return, something akin to friendship had bloomed between himself and Lisa. They still had tiffs over one procedure here or there, but when it came down to it, he valued whatever kind of friendship he had with her very much. Especially ever since Roy went into a coma, she had become someone to lean on.

******Flashback*****************************************

Rick had been sitting in front of the fountain, lost in his own thoughts. The past couple of weeks had been especially hard on him. First, his big brother, roy, gets seriously injured and fell into a coma; second, he got promoted to CAG and is assigned skull one as his plane; then word comes about that the civilians will be allowed to disembark in Ontario; next, upon entering the Ontario quadrant, the Zentraedi attack and overload the new omni-directional barrier, wiping out a population center, and killing Ben Dixon, forcing the SDF 1 to leave earth. Furthermore, because of Minmei's pop idol status, he wasn't able to even contact her, let alone talk to her about his troubles. The most ironic thing of all was that this was practically the same spot he met her before his first mission.

"Rick? It's strange to see you out here at such a late hour." Lisa's voice disturbed the silence around him; however, her words did not convey a sound of animosity, but of genuine concern.

"Oh, hi Lisa." He was so occupied in his thoughts that he didn't realize she had approached until she had spoken.

"I just needed a place to think. My room wasn't doing it for me." Continued Rick.

An awkward pause was shared between the two of them, however Lisa decided to break the silence; "you know, almost every other week I come down here and reflect what all of us have been through."

Rick continued to remain silent. "Rick, I know the past few weeks must have been hell for you. For what it's worth, if you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to listen."

A single tear rolled down his cheek, "thanks Lisa, I appreciate it."

******End flashback**************************************

After that evening, their friendship had deepened. Rick occasionally confided in her his doubts, and she understood and empathized in a way that Minmei never could. Occasionally, Lisa would let a barrier down and confide him

******Flashback*****************************************

"Tell me the truth then," he said not facing her. "You left the theatre for the same reason I did. You couldn't stand to see the person you're in love with kissing someone else?"

Lisa nodded.

            "What a joke," Rick continued. "Both of us running out of the theater at the same time. But how could you fall in love with that guy? He's against everything you stand for."

            "He looks exactly like a man I was in love with. _He_ had to go away, and then he died before we had the chance…" She began to cry despite trying to hold back the well of tears. "Sometimes when I see Kyle, Karl's face comes back to haunt me and… and I just cant bear it…"

******End flashback**************************************

            It was ironic that that night the two of them saw their respective crushes arm in arm. But Rick remembered that he and Lisa had a good time in each others company just relaxing at a coffee shop. In subsequent off shifts, they met up occasionally, normally over coffee or an intermittent lunch or dinner. Rick always thought of Lisa as a cold fish, but in those couple of weeks before her mission to Alaska base, he had learnt otherwise. One time, they were both amazed at their shared affinity for movies. He even found out that 90% of the story for TOP GUN was a true story, and that one of her childhood best friends was the son of the namesakes of the 2 lead characters. 

            Work did affect those off meetings, like meeting to discuss pilot patrol schedules, going over performance reviews of pilots and other administrative things. Almost every other week it seemed, they would get into an argument over the TAC NET and he and Lisa would not speak to each other outside of work. But always within a couple of days the two of them would apologize to each other. Rick knew that they both wouldn't let something as minor as their TAC NET spats get in the way of their friendship.

'Her friendship has meant so much to me in these past weeks,' Rick thought. 'Losing that friendship would almost be as bad as losing Roy completely. Maybe it'd be best if we'd just be friends.' Rick closed his eyes, but his mind churned more, 'minmei, when will you ever return my affections? I hope you know that I'm here waiting for you. Oh well, it takes too much energy thinking this through.' Clearing his thoughts of relationships, he fell into a dreamless slumber.

++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++

Almost overnight, macross city worked itself up into a frenzy of wedding planning; indeed, the wedding became the talk of the town and for some, their whole lives. In the eyes of mayor Tommy Luan, the wedding helped give life and hope to a city that had constantly been bombarded by despair and hardship. Food was chosen for the reception, colour schemes were picked; even the resident costume and fashion designers even competed for having the honor of designing Miriya's wedding dress. Captain Gloval even ordered that vermilion squadron, Rick and Max's old squadron, to be an escort honour guard. 

For Max, all these preparation meant he was temporarily removed from the active pilot roster and was made a temporary VF simulator instructor for new recruits. Miriya's days were filled with debriefings and impromptu RDF training. Her staunch willingness to fight alongside Max for their love prompted captain Gloval to give her a commission in the RDF. VF training, naturally, would be held off until after the wedding; however, many suspected she would quickly become as good as Max. Many would think that with their duties, there would be no time for the couple to prepare for the wedding. Luckily for the 2 lovebirds, their duties were given in such a way that they only had plenty of time for wedding preparations, and even recreation.

"So what do you guys think about our colour scheme??" asked Miriya. an hour and a half of discussing wedding plans had not tired her one bit.

Claudia and Rick were still uncertain how they got pulled into helping plan the wedding of the century to even pay attention to Max and Miriya's fervor in preparations. "Claudia, Rick! WAKE UP! You two are supposed to be our maid of honor and Best man, so help us out in this!" ranted Max. ironically this impromptu wedding planning session was occurring in Claudia's quarters, so she had no escape; she knew that letting miriya stay there until the wedding would mean things like this would occur.

"Max, Miriya, the colour scheme is wonderful. Now can we go do something other than planning your wedding? I mean practically half of macross city is doing that for you!" replied Claudia.

Finally hearing someone other than the 'soon to be married' couple, Rick finally zoned back in. "Claudia's right you know. I mean you literally have an army of people working on making your wedding better than a royal one. So why don't we all go out and relax? And I mean like going out somewhere to eat or just going for coffee even. Nothing big at all"

"Do you think we could get Kim Sammie and Vanessa to come as well?" asked Miriya.

"I don't see why not," replied Claudia, "they're off duty by now." 

20 minutes later, and a change out of uniform and into casual wear, Claudia, the bridge bunnies, Rick, and the soon to be married couple of max and Miriya all headed to starlight lounge. It was a slightly busy, but because the manager recognized the soon to be married couple, the group was quickly ushered to a large circular booth. The starlight lounge was the best mid-scale casual dining establishment in all of macross city; the food was great, and not too hard on the pocketbook either. Having to act at least a tiny bit of a gentleman, it ended up that Rick got stuck on one entrance beside Sammie, while Max and Miriya got stuck on the other. After everyone had decided what to order, the terrible trio opened up conversation for everyone at the table. Sammie somehow got the conversation on to work. "Speaking of which, hey Rick, I have to thank you for all the help you've given me while I fill in for Lisa's spot. If it weren't for you I'd probably have gone insane!" 

"No problem Sammie. That's what friends are for right?" responded Rick. 

"Of course!" beamed Sammie. "Hey max, I heard you finally got to finally test the super veritech!"

"Ya Max, tell us what you think of it!" added Rick.

Being friends with the main bridge crew had its advantages for the two pilots of skull squadron; they weren't jealous of Rick and max for flying the latest veritechs. "Uh, uhm…well, do you think they could put those upgrades on my veritech?" stammered max. "I mean they're just add-ons to the regular VF's right. All that speed, agility and firepower just makes it that much better a veritech."

"Rick what about you? You are the only one to fly it in combat." Asked Claudia.

"I agree with max to a point. Y'see it is a lot faster and more agile, not to mention that it has more missiles than our normal valkyries. But both valkyries can run out of ammo. Remember when we had to enter macross city to destroy all those pods? I ran out of ammo and used my gun pod as a club." Everyone remembered that chaotic day in hell.  "I think dr. Lang will make the super veritech type 2 with my little recommendation." Finished off skull leader.

"So the scuttlebutt is true!!"

"How can you not like the super veritech?!!"

"You talked to Dr. Lang about it?"

"A better super veritech? Is that even possible?"

Questions bombarded Rick at near light speed, and from everyone at the table as well. Luckily for him though, their waiter arrived with the appetizers they ordered temporarily halting the barrage of questions. As soon the waiter left the group to their own devices, it seemed that the inundation of questions would begin anew. 

"I think I speak for everyone," began Claudia, halting the impending flood of questions; " in asking for the details about your little suggestions to doctor Lang."

Rick made sure that he had a buffalo wing in his mouth in a feeble attempt to stall from answering. But he realized that unless he answered Claudia, thee terrible trio of Sammie, Kim and Vanessa would barrage him with so many questions, he'd be Swiss cheese.

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you, since I'm never gonna hear the end of this otherwise." replied Rick.

"The day after I got to use the super veritech, doctor Lang actually called me in to talk about the real battle performance of the craft. I basically told him what I told 

you guys; it's 10 times better than our regular fighters, but I let him know that I wished it could have an extra cannon or something to replace one of the missile launcher pods on the back. Remember that I was in his lab, so he immediately went to a computer terminal, and in like less than 15 minutes he came up with a schematic: the super veritech type 2, which he dubbed as the strike veritech" Rick grabbed another hot wing and dipped it in blue cheese sauce.

"So what did it look like and what's its capabilities gonna be?" asked a curious max; practically reading his fiancé's mind. 

"Well," Rick answered with food in his mouth, "it looked almost like a super veritech, but one missile pod is replaced with a dual energy cannon. It's basically like a super veritech…but more or less half as many missiles…. Oh and the missiles on the arms are gonna be changed with a special cluster missile they're basically the missile version of a shotgun. The best thing is that cuz the only difference between this strike veritech and the super veritech is the cannon pod, the wait for this craft to go into production will only be something like days after the super is in full production. I can't wait to try it out!"

It was visible that both miriya and max couldn't wait as well to pilot one.

Soon after, finishing their appetizers, everyone's meals arrived; the conversation that occurred between bites of food was spirited, and full of good humour among the group. But just as Rick finished his meal, the waiter returned with a phone-bot in tow. "Excuse me," interrupted the waiter, "is one you named Rick hunter by any chance?"

"Ya, I'm Rick hunter." 

"My apologies for interrupting your meal sir, but you have a call."

"Thank you I'll take it here," the bot rolls up beside him and Rick picks up the phone. "Hunter here…. What? Really? Ok." Everyone including Claudia was curious to whom Rick was talking to. "I'll meet you there right away" said Rick before hanging up the telephone.

"Sorry," Rick announced to the group, "but I gotta leave right away. An old friend of mine is having some problems wanted to talk. I'll see all of you later k?" and with a chorus of goodbyes and see you laters, Rick left the restaurant.

++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++

Like her friends on the SDF 1, Lisa is also taking a break from the stress of preparations to return to the battle fortress and being a training instructor for her friend from the academy, Helena Chase. "So is that pilot what's his name…Archer! Is he giving you more trouble?" inquired Lisa; she and Helena were relaxing in an officer's lounge, taking a nice relaxed coffee break.

"Don't get me started Lisa!" exclaimed lieutenant Chase. "That man is just soo arrogant, he seems to instinctively know how to get under my skin! But the most annoying part is he's one of the best pilots on the base! And more often than not I have to agree that he did a good job, despite despising his character. Do you know what I mean Lisa?"

"I know exactly what you mean;" replied Lisa, " and the worst part is it's cuz of personal experience. Do you guys argue over the comm.?" Helena shook her head. "Then you're lucky," Lisa continued, "on the trip back from Pluto, myself and a newly enlisted pilot by the name of rick hunter got into at least one argument over the tac-net every other day! He was such a loose cannon… one time, even captain gloval had to reprimand us because of what he termed as our **newlywed quarrel** had gotten out of hand." Lisa let a little chuckle at that particular memory. 

"So what happened to this Hunter fellow? Were you two dating or something?" asked Helena with apt attention on Lisa.

Lisa was stunned for a moment by the question. Their friendship went way back, and on the base, Helena amounted to her only true friend and deserved to know the truth; she shook her head, "no we weren't dating at the time. He now is CAG for the SDF 1, and a natural leader. The most ironic thing is since we've returned to earth; you could say we've become very close friends. We still had some heated arguments over the net every other week, but the quarrels aren't as bad, because we want to keep our friendship with each other."

A pregnant silence formed between them, as Lisa sipped her coffee unaware of the blush that had appeared as she spoke. Helena wasn't surprised that Lisa had similar experiences of rowdy pilots, but one that was originally her bane and was now a very close friend? This shocked her; moreover, by lisa's blush, she was certain that she wanted to be more than friends.

"I think you're LYING Lisa! I think you've fallen head over heels for him." declared Helena.

"Helena, that's ludicrous!" denied Lisa, but her eyes and facial expressions betrayed her true feelings

Helena was about to reply, but the base P.A. system cut her off, with a message that Lisa Hayes' presence was requested by in admiral Hayes' office.

"I gotta go Helen, maybe I'll meet you when you're off duty?" asked Lisa

"Sure! Now get going!" taking another sip from her coffee, Helena, 'Helen' Chase pondered Lisa's love life as she watched her friend go off to an impromptu meeting.

++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++

It had taken Rick about 20 minutes to get up to the park overlooking macross city. But this was a place he remembered well. The last time he was here there were only a few sparsely planted trees, almost a year and a half ago; now it had become a beautiful area to sit and think. There was a park bench, and railing to prevent people from falling from the ledge; it was arguably more beautiful than macross central park. There was no one else around, save for one person sitting down on the bench, admiring the view. He walked up and sat beside the person on the park bench, and emulating his the denizen seated beside him, Rick whispered, 

"I came as fast as I could. It has become more beautiful than when we were up hear last…minmei."

"Yes it has." replied minmei, in an almost seductive whisper, still looking at the city.

"So minmei, what was so urgent that you needed to see me?" asked Rick, as he took a look at her outfit. She was wearing a pair of dirty denim, hip-hugger jeans, and a powder pink 3/4-sleeve shirt. To top it all off, her normally full-bodied hair was straightened, and tied back and pink tinted sunglasses adorned her face…if he didn't they hadn't planned on meeting at this spot, he wouldn't have recognized her at all.

"Being a star has been so draining on me. I really just needed to get away from all of that for a bit, and do something a normal teen would do for a change…like a date," answered the pop princess, fluttering her eyes at Rick.

Rick's heartstrings were tugged in all sorts of directions, so that he was almost at a loss of words to speak. _'Maybe minmei has realized how much I love her?'_ he pondered. "Sure…you're normally told to do this and that right? So tonight, you take the lead and I'll follow you at your side."  And with Minmei's nod, he took her hand in his, and they went off to paint the town red.

++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++++##++

"Commander Hayes reporting as ordered sir." saluted Lisa, towards her on duty father.

"Relax Lisa, and close the door behind you." replied the admiral, just giving her a quick glance to acknowledge her, and returning to what seemed to be unending piles of paperwork. 

Lisa complied with her father's request, realizing that this was going to be another informal meeting. Taking a seat in one of the guest chairs in front of her father's desk, she began, "so father, is there anything I can help you with? the CINCPAC office is like a kicked over ant hill." 

"Yes there is. While most of my current staff has been prepping for the change of command, I've been selecting my Alaska base office staff." Donald Hayes let out an exhaustion filled sigh. Leaning back into his custom made, leather chair and removing his eyes from the stacks of paperwork, and focusing on Lisa, he continued  "I need your help in picking a good command staff from the personnel on the SDF 1. and don't even think of mentioning either Caruthers or Maistroff as being part of my staff! I hate those 2 rigid suck ups!" 

            "Well father, no one likes those 2 colonels on the battle fortress…at least among those who get the work done. Well I do have one name off the top of my head that you'd want as your commander for all fleet wide fighter operations."

This caught the admiral's attention, thinking his daughter might be bucking for promotion " who would that be? You perhaps?"

"No sir," she replied, "I'm suggesting one of the best command pilots we have: Roy Fokker. The only thing is he's in a coma."

"He's a good man, and definitely the perfect fit for the job. Lets hope he gets better by the time we arrive." Donald Hayes surmised. "Well I have the most recent files for the command staff for the battle fortress, if we go through them together, you be able to help me get a feel of each person so I know who to add to my staff.

"Sure Admiral." Replied Lisa, a little bit more formally than needed.

And so both father and daughter delved into the command crew files of the SDF 1, searching for the right men and women to serve on the admiral's staff while he was on board. 

Tsu zu ku

-+-+-+-+- end of wedding bells part 3 -+-+-+-+-

preview:

next time on Robotech departures

the wedding plans have been made, and romantic decisions are seemingly written in stone. Nothing has been heard from the Zentraedi yet, but they carry a big stick in the form of their fleet, and do not need to utter many words. But could the one to be most wary of is captain gloval himself? Could making the wedding bigger than a royal wedding be a political tactic aimed at the Zentraedi? They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, and that love conquers all. The mother of all weddings, and the climactic clash between the pen and the sword occur in **Wedding Bells part 3**

Glossary of terms

CAG:                                       commander air group. commander of all aircraft/spacecraft on a warship

Chaff:                                       a countermeasure 

CINCCOS:                              Commander in Chief Cosmos. Commander of all military forces in space

CINCPAC:                              Commander in chief Pacific. Commander of all military forces in the  pacific region

CO:                                          Commanding officer

COSCOM:                              Space command

PACCOM:                              Pacific command

Oberth destroyers:                    Some of the first warships made by robotechnology, check out the robotech reference guide for some details     

TAC NET:                               tactical communications network. This is the communications network between VF pilots and  the bridge

XO:                                          Executive Officer, the second in command 

RDF:                                        Robotech Defense Forces

VF:                                          Abbreviation for veritech fighter.

Veritech:                                   transformarble fighter craft used by the RDF to combat the zentraedi

valkyrie:                                    the first type of veritech produced. Fighter plane designator code is VF 1

Author notes

What??? Rick and minmei on a date? I know Carla is gonna be pissed at me for the rick/minmei date thing and rick's mid chapter soliloquy about only being friends with Lisa, *hides from other rabid rick/lisa fans* but the macross saga is supposed to be a love triangle romance between rick, lisa and minmei right?  So before anyone shoots me, I want everyone to take a look at when rick thinks about minmei then goes to sleep. Ain't it interesting how I worded it?? (hint hint)  maybe something similar will happen later… and it just might point the direction who rick will end up with. I hope you guys at least give me consolation that rick and lisa are good friends and not seriously at each others throats.*prays no one attempts to strangle me*

Captain Gloval as a prankster? You gotta be kidding right? He just strikes me to at least have some sort of sense of humour, and we never see captain gloval's humorous side in the series, except for his little rants about hatches being too low, or not being able to smoke his pipe. I mean even he needs some comedy and relaxation in his life. What better way than to pull a little prank on a subordinate? 

On the topic of characters, I'm a big fan of fair character treatment. Aren't the greatest antagonists of literature the ones that you can be compellingly sympathetic to? Simply put, I'm not gonna bash any characters…and as much as I want to bash minmei for being annoying, I think minmei has potential of developing into a well rounded character. She's supposed to be one of the 3 main character, so shouldn't she at least grow as much as rick and lisa?

For those who think that the veritech mark 2 / strike veritech is the strike valkyrie from macross, do you remember love movie, well you are right, it is!! It was just such a butt kicking design from that movie, I couldn't pass up the chance of adding it to the RDF arsenal

Speaking of scenes from the do you remember love movie, did you catch the other ones? (restaurant *cough**cough*)

On the topic of movies, I couldn't resist somehow adding top gun into my story! It's one of my all time favorite movies! Fighters, and romance all rolled into one!

If anyone wonders about why "colour" and "honour" are not spelt "color" and "honor", well I must let you know that they're not!!! it just so happens that I AM CANADIAN! And proud of it. The way I spelt those two words just so happens to be the Canadian spelling of those words.

Oh ya, if you are reading this line, PLEASE REVIEW!!! I wanna hear your input…that means criticisms (only way to get better is to know your faults right?) and comments, extra ideas for things to happen(no requests for hentai will be taken though) like pranks and stuff to happen to characters  are most appreciated! If I like your idea, and it doesn't conflict with my epic sized outline, I'll try to fit it in.

One more thing, to all you people who have an idea for a fic, Just WRITE IT!!! Especially macross saga fics! Besides, you can only become a better writer! 

Anywayz, cya next chapter!

Pangeman

The review button is just down here!!

PLEASE REVIEW!!


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